Si-iew (pronounce approximately "see yew") is the name for sweet dark soy sauce in the dominant local Chinese dialect. Pad si-iew is a favorite lunch dish, a Thai version of fast food (you may omit the coconut milk if you want to reduce calories).

Slice about 8 ounces of beef paper thin (you might persuade your butcher to put it through the bacon slicer...) and marinade the beef in the marinade for about an hour.

Ingredients

marinaded beef

Instructions

Cook the noodles until tender, in plain water, then put in cold water to halt the cooking process.... Heat a wok and a little oil to stir fry the marinaded beef until it just begins to cook (because it is cut very thin, this is quite quick so be careful not to overcook). ...Add the noodles and the remaining ingredients, and stir until blended and heated through..... Taste the sauce for balance of flavors (it should be just on the sweet side with a salty tang).......

Serve with rice and the usual Thai table condiments as well as ground Thai chili powder and sugar...................

Palm sugar is harvested from the sweet, watery sap that drips from cut flower buds of the sugar palm. The sap is collected each morning and boiled in huge woks on the plantations until a sticky sugar remains. This is whipped and dropped in lumps on cellophane, or filled into containers.